An early form of public transportation, trolleys played an essential role in the development of Lancaster County socially, economically and culturally. The freedom of movement that trolleys provided laid the foundation for exchanges of ideas and the proliferation of creativity, as well as practical applications of resource management.

Stan Bowman fondly remembers his rides on trolley cars, and through those memories he has become an unofficial expert on the 20th-century mode of transportation.

"I grew up in Delaware County, and Philadelphia had more trolleys than any other city in the country," said Bowman. "They were a lot of fun to ride. It was like riding a miniature railroad. It came close to where you lived, and a lot of them were high speed. A lot of people remember trolleys."

Trolleys and, to a lesser degree, trains will be the topics of Bowman's rail transportation seminar at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the Terre Hill Community Center, 131 W. Main St., Terre Hill. Bowman's program is sponsored by the Terre Hill Area Historical Society and is free to attend.

"From an historic standpoint, trolleys developed (the Lancaster County area) and the land outside the city," said Bowman. "There were all these farms outside the city, and people moved to them. Special trolley lines were built so (individuals) could get back to Lancaster."

Bowman's talk on the impact of trolleys and trains on Lancaster County in the early 1900s will last about 40 minutes. The presentation will be heavily influenced by black-and-white and some color photographs, and the seminar will be interactive in nature.

"The main thing is going to be the photos," said Bowman, a resident of Thorndale in Chester County. "What will happen is the pictures will be projected on a screen with a digital slideshow, and I'll be explaining them. They're all old, excellent photos that have been scanned."

"Anyone who wants to make a remark can make a remark at any time," he continued. "I'm the communicator. I'm telling the people where the shot is located and with some of them, what is there now."

More than 140 people are expected to attend Bowman's presentation - local history buffs and local residents with a general curiosity in history.

"They're local people who are interested in history," said Bowman of those who typically attend his programs. "In the Terre Hill area, they really go after the trolleys. They especially like rail transportation."

"I want to show people the trolleys that used to run in Lancaster County," added Bowman. "The feature of it will be the Ephata to Lancaster line. But there was also a New Holland to Terre Hill line."

The popularity of trolleys in Lancaster County coincided with the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By the end of World War II, that popularity began to wane.

"(Trolleys) went everywhere," said Bowman. "There was a line to Lititz. There was a line to Manheim. There was a line to Quarryville. There was a line to Columbia. At one time back in the 1920s, the lines radiated from the city of Lancaster like spokes on a wheel. During the teens and '20s and up until the Great Depression was the heyday of trolleys."

"Before that, stagecoaches were the first form of public transportation," Bowman continued. "There was the railroad from Philadelphia to Lancaster before the trolleys, but it was very limited. Most of those county lines were abandoned in 1932. Before roads got paved and people got automobiles, trolleys helped people get to parks, they helped people to get to recreation. What killed the trolleys in later years was the automobile."

Before retiring, Bowman taught mathematics for 34 years at Conestoga High School in Berwyn. In college, he majored in math and minored in history.

"Generally speaking, the audience really enjoys (the seminar)," said Bowman. "Some of the members tell stories about when they were young. I want people to come and see it. I hope people will be interested and want to come. When they enjoy it, I enjoy it."